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Fact Sheet for Bloody Brook

Investigation to Continue at Voluntary Cleanup Program Site

Bloody Brook Site Number V00501-7
Town of Salina and Village of Liverpool, Onondaga County, NY
April 2011

In July 2002, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (Lockheed Martin) entered into a Voluntary Cleanup Program agreement for the investigation and remediation of Bloody Brook. The area of interest is located from just south of the New York State Thruway to the Onondaga Lake Parkway in the Town of Salina and Village of Liverpool, Onondaga County (area location map attached).

Lockheed Martin will complete the additional soil sampling activities described in an investigation work plan that has been approved by NYSDEC under New York's Voluntary Cleanup Program. The investigation work plan is available at the locations identified below under "Where to Find Information". The investigation work plan also is available on the NYSDEC web site.

Highlights of the Site Investigation

The site investigation has been developed in order to define the extent of cadmium in the soil, and to provide information to support the development of a proposed remedy to address the cadmium. Approximately 740 soil samples will be collected and submitted to an environmental laboratory, of which over 700 are from residential areas.

For those interested in greater detail on the soil sample locations, please visit the repositories listed in "Where to Find Information", stated below.

Sampling is scheduled to commence during the spring of 2011 and last approximately seven (7) weeks.

Next Steps

When the investigation is completed, Lockheed Martin will prepare and submit a report that summarizes the results of the investigation. Following the submittal of the summary report, Lockheed Martin will evaluate all of the site data, and prepare and submit a "Remedial Action Work Plan". The goal of the plan is to describe the actions that will be performed to clean up the site to protect public health and the environment. NYSDEC and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) will review the draft cleanup plan to determine if the plan is acceptable. Once the draft cleanup plan is determined to be acceptable, NYSDEC will present it to the public for its review and comment during a 30-day comment period.

NYSDEC will keep the public informed throughout the investigation and cleanup of the site.

Background

Bloody Brook flows through a residential area, which includes single family homes, duplexes and an apartment complex; commercial and light industrial areas; and ultimately discharges to Onondaga Lake. The area is served by public water and sewer.

In April 1997, Lockheed Martin, with NYSDEC oversight, commenced a sediment removal project in the West Branch of Bloody Brook. The project included sediment removal from within a 200-foot long culvert beneath the New York State Thruway and sediment removal along a 750-foot segment of the stream beginning at the end of the culvert. The work was documented in the West Branch of Bloody Brook Sediment Removal Certification Report, dated November 1997. This report was approved by NYSDEC in December 1997; however, it was agreed that additional data was needed.

Since 1994, sampling has occurred in and adjacent to Bloody Brook. Cadmium concentrations in soil range from non-detect to 5,350 parts per million (ppm) and in sediment from 2.6 to 174 ppm. Typically, the greatest concentrations of cadmium in soil were found at depths greater than one foot. Cadmium compounds were not detected in the water of Bloody Brook. The concentrations of cadmium in soil and sediment, however, are above NYSDEC guidance values. The investigations scheduled to commence during the Spring of 2011 will aid in defining the extent of cadmium in the soil and sediment and provide information to the NYSDEC for remedy selection at the site.

The exposure pathway of concern at Bloody Brook is accidental ingestion of contaminated soil or sediment carried to the mouth by dirty hands. However, the NYSDEC, NYSDOH and the Onondaga County Health Department have determined that the potential for coming into contact with cadmium in the brook and in nearby soil is minimized because these areas are well vegetated with grass and brush, which constitutes a barrier decreasing potential contact with soil. In addition, some of these areas are not easily accessible. As a precaution, the Onondaga County Health Department has advised the public to avoid contact with sediment in the brook or soil along its banks until remediation is complete.

Where to Find Information

Project documents are available at the following location(s) to help the public stay informed. These documents include the investigation work plan and the application to participate in the Voluntary Cleanup Program.